Today was a magical morning. Our heat wave has sadly ended, but I still woke up feeling really, really good. I should mention I am a true believer in manifestation, but I am also a person of action. I felt like Dean Moriarty, buzzing, smiling with bums in the panhandle, having a speedy amazing run, in sync with all of the traffic lights, feeling like every lyric playing from my ipod was a reflection of everything I've been feeling and thinking. And I realized two things: I want to always strive to be gracious (in my actions) and honest (most importantly, with myself.) And I've been flooding with new ideas for some art projects its slightly overwhelming. And then I got to work and my new eskuche headphone arrived (they have amazing customer service, if they break, they replace the pair in about a week) and I got my Sketchbook Project. And I got to eat some free chocolate coconut cake. So really, after a extremely exhausting week, today was wonderful...Now how am I going to begin all these endeavors???? So this is a picture of my good friend Mary, because it makes me happy, and because I know she would understand by having a buzzing day, and because she's in Hong Kong and I miss her. Shout out to Mar!

This is maybe one of the coolest things ever and most difficult to verbalize....

Ok, I'm really excited. I just took a leap and signed up for Art House Co-op's 2010 Sketchbook Project! This is gonna be really good. This is  also one of the most difficult undertakings to verbalize and explain so please, check out the link. I'm kinda nervous but I think this is gonna be very inspiring, and keep me bustling. Everyday on my way to work I keep hoping the sketchbook will arrive, but no dice. So I will keep ya posted when I get it and maybe even show you some of my sketches. Stay tuned!

these shoes don't suck

I think that almost everyone that can afford a pair of the simple vegan shoes would say they are a supporter of Toms. Who doesn't like the idea of being charitable while adding something hip and comfortable to their wardrobe? There is something great about and seeing TOMS as a blank canvas [shoe] and taking them to the next level with some personalized footwear--no more fighting over whose TOMS are whose. Recently, my roommates asked me to customize their TOMS for their birthdays. Here are the results.

to be bright and green

I love DIY, especially for the home. In part because I need to constantly have a creative outlet, and also because I enjoy taking credit for the cool decor accents within my home. For inspiration and ideas, I spend a lot of time on various sites: readymade.com and apartmenttherapy.com are amazing. On Re-nest, I had seen postings of solar-paneled lanterns and loved the idea: It incorporates sustainability, mason jars, and lighting, all things I like. However, I also knew I wanted to take the project a step further to play with color and reflection. These are a couple I have made with glitter and sequins and spray paint. Next I want to try glass beads and tinsel. I aspire to soon have a shelf of these lanterns all glowing together.

The Birds

I'm not gonna even pretend otherwise, I have an amazing apartment. I'm obsessed. And I love to decorate it and use the space as if it were a gallery. Luckily my roommates seem ok with it, I think they might even like it. Installation art has always interested me, and is fun to experiment with. Also, I should mention I work down the street from Paper Source, so I spend a lot of time (and more money than I would like to admit) in the store. These doves bring a sense of color and serenity to a morning in the kitchen with a my coffee.

Double Whammy

Skinner

Skinner

Ferris Plock

Ferris Plock

On Saturday, I went to two art openings at White Walls and Shooting Gallery where two friends of mine have been working hard to get the shows up.  Artists Skinner and Ferris Plock were featured and the turnout was very impressive. Skinner's show "The Fear You May Know" featured a lot of fantasy art, or what I like to think of as art directed to men which reminds them of the comics and plastic figurines of their childhood. Personally, these were not the types of pieces I would want to hang in my home, but because of the attention to small detail and intricate stories of destruction and conflict, were certainly interesting and offered a lot to look at. Luckily, I had the pleasure of going through the work with my dear friend Tim and he continually pointed out aspects that reminded him of his childhood. We both also agreed that Skinner uses a lot of different painting techniques within a single piece (like a hazy spraypainted backdrop) that is very effective. In particular, Skinner's ability to incorporate a drip effect with actually adds to the story.
Ferris Plock, a San Francisco artist, had his "Rest for the Wicked" show where his works depicted the the types of characters I would see when I walk around the city. I really like Ferris's work; it's thoughtful, it also had great attention to detail, without being over the top cutsy or pretentious. I was totally reminded of Klimt's "The Kiss" at this show and was I rich, I would have bought some of work. He is also thematic with his colors, and has a couple different stories grouped within his figures. I loved the sneakers, and all the animalistic faces. It made me smile.

Sweet Ride Creamery

My good friend Rachel makes amazing ice cream. Like, the kind of ice cream that makes a lactose intolerant person (me) devour it. She manages a company that rents bikes and gives bicycle tours around the city, but has many ideas for side businesses. An ice cream bicycle was one her latest ideas, and because I know she has the talent, I wanted to contribute. Her business endeavor was the perfect product to create a brand identity system for. Thus Sweet Ride Creamery was born! For my final project for my intensive Graphic Design course at Parsons, I had to create a logo, table tent, hang tag, packaging and promotional material. These were three very intense days as i worked to create a design for Sweet Ride Creamery which met Rachel's criteria: 

1. Simple

2. Cheap to reproduce

3. Because she was going to sell the ice cream out of a freezer trailer attached to her bicycle, the containers had to be small (no cones) and recyclable--she wanted mason jars that could be returned to her.

4. Labels that wouldn't stick to the glass if she reused the jars.

5. Something awesome!

The promotional card itself was fictitious, but Bees Without Borders is a new non-profit that she is currently interested in, and they also happen to have a stand at the Green Market in Union Square (where she may also purchase some of her ingredients).